NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi completes 25 years in public office on October 7, marking a political journey that began when he was sworn in as Gujarat chief minister in 2001. The BJP is celebrating the milestone through its month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, with programmes, outreach initiatives and yatras linking Modi’s birthplace Vadnagar with his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.
When Modi became Gujarat CM, the state was recovering from the Kutch earthquake earlier that year. His government focused on reconstruction, water management, irrigation and infrastructure. The expansion of check dams and the Narmada canal system resulted a strong agricultural and industrial growth in the state.
The BJP won the 2002 Gujarat elections, and Modi remained CM for more than 12 years. His administration came to be associated with the term “Gujarat model,” referring to its emphasis on infrastructure, investment, irrigation and quick decision-making. Supporters highlighted the state’s economic performance, while critics questioned the distribution of growth and pointed to differences in social and economic outcomes.
In 2013, Modi was named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. A year later, the BJP won 282 seats in the Lok Sabha. Modi’s move from Gandhinagar to Delhi marked a shift from state-level governance to national administration. Over the following decade, the government pursued a range of economic, social and foreign policy initiatives.
The Goods and Services Tax, introduced in 2017, brought most indirect taxes into a common national framework. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code created a formal mechanism for resolving corporate insolvency, while efforts to address stressed bank assets led to recognition of bad loans and restructuring in the banking sector.
Demonetisation in 2016, when high-value currency notes were withdrawn from circulation, was among the most debated economic decisions of his first term. Infrastructure has remained a top agenda of the Modi government. Connectivity projects have also focused on the Northeast and J&K. The expansion of digital public infra, including digital payments, has been another success.
Following the Uri attack in 2016, India announced a cross-border surgical strike. After the Pulwama attack in 2019, India conducted an air strike at Balakot. In 2025, the government announced Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terrorist attack. These actions were seen as part of a more direct response to cross-border terrorism.
On the diplomatic front, the approach has involved balancing strategic partnerships with longstanding principles of strategic autonomy, energy security and diaspora engagement. The Covid-19 represented another major test of his governance. India launched a nationwide vaccination programme in 2021 that administered more than two billion doses.
